


Stay with me tonight

by NymeriaPoisonArrow



Series: Sentinel Nora Foster one shots [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, chems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7543438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NymeriaPoisonArrow/pseuds/NymeriaPoisonArrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of the one shot, But You.<br/>Sentinel Nora Foster and Paladin Danse stay the night in Goodneighbour. Danse helps comfort Nora through her sadness. </p>
<p>*Slight AU where Danse is not banished from the BoS.<br/>These events take place after the events of the main story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay with me tonight

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to Lady_Trevelyan84 for inspiring me to continue the story of Nora Foster and Danse. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Let me know if you would like to see this continued or if you want to see something else. All kudos and comments appreciated.

“Come on, let’s get you home Nora.” Danse moved up closer to stand beside her in the alley. His eyes focused on her hands, like he was going to hold one. He seemed hesitant to move or say anything, almost scared to touch her. A silence settled between them. She glanced down to her hands and back up to his face. He was nervous, she realised. Nora looked up into his dark eyes and smiled warmly at him before taking his hand.

He let out a small shocked gasp as her hand closed around his armoured one. Even with the metal barrier between them, he was surprised by the gesture. This was the most intimate they had ever been.“It’s late Danse and I don’t want to go back to Maxson, not yet. I have a room in the hotel, we can stay one more night.”

Speechless, Danse just nodded. He wasn’t sure if she was insinuating anything or whether she was just stating that she had a rented room. All he could focus on was her hand in his and how it made him feel warm inside. In his slightly dazed state, he allowed Nora to drag him in the direction of the Rexford Hotel. 

Danse spotted the dealer from the alley, inside the hotel. He stared the man – Fred, he thought he heard Nora call him – down until he ran from the hotel lobby. Nora moved through the area, leading the Paladin towards the stairwell. The woman behind the counter called out to her as the two passed by. “So Fred was tellin’ the truth. I didn’t believe him when he said you have a bodyguard. Cute too. Pity he's one of those Brotherhood assholes as well." _By all means, continue speaking about me as though I am not standing right in front of you_ , Danse thought to himself. She did. "Hmm, didn't think they were your type. Just don’t break the bed, okay?” Danse bit his tongue to refrain from saying anything to the civilian. 

“We’re – I’m… He’s not my bodyguard Clair. And tell Fred to mind his own fuckin’ business. What’s it to him anyway? He gets his caps on time. That’s all he cares about.”

"Like I said, don't break the bed."

"We're not going to break the bed, Clair."

Clair turned back to the counter and continued painting her nails a gaudy pink shade. Danse heard her leave out a “Mmmhmm” before Nora dragged him up the stairs. On the top floor, they passed a woman in a revealing red dress who winked up to Danse, causing him to turn a slightly darker shade. “Good for you honey. Lord knows you need it.” The woman cooed after Nora.

Nora pulled on Danse’s hand even harder down the hallway, away from the woman. “You seem to be well known around here” he remarked as she let go of his hand outside of a doorway. She fished around in her pockets for a key and unlocked the room. "Just ignore them. It's what I usually do."

Empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor as they entered. She kicked a few more away while picking up a few. “Umm… sorry for the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” Everywhere he looked, there was a glass bottle. They littered every surface top. A few empty Jet inhalers lay on the floor. Beside the bed lay some unopened bottles, lined up and easy to reach for.

Danse felt his heart sink a little. He understood what it was like to seek comfort in alcohol. To drink until the pain was numbed and you couldn’t remember anymore. He also knew that it was only a temporary fix and the dangerous path it led to. He wanted to help his former recruit to get out of this dark place she was in.

He stepped out of his power armour and left it in the corner of the room. Turning back around, he saw Nora looking down suddenly very interested in the floor. Her cheeks flared red with embarrassment. “Nora, you can’t do this anymore. It won’t help you. You need to talk to someone. You need to talk to me.”

“I know..” She still refused to look up at him. This was so unlike her. The Nora he knew, always had a witty comeback. This woman before him, was small and broken. She had lost all her spark and she was left a hollow shell of her usual self. Danse stepped forward to comfort her. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek but hovered, requesting her permission to touch her silently. She inclined her head slightly.

When his hand made contact with her cheek, she leaned into his touch and exhaled heavily. “Promise me, that in future when you feel like this, that you’ll talk to me instead of coming here and poisoning yourself with chems. You’re better than that.”

Suddenly she burst into tears and Danse enveloped himself around her, holding her tightly to his chest. She clung onto the material of his jumpsuit and soaked the front of it with her crying. Danse scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. He sat there with her in his lap bawling her eyes out, while he rocked them slightly, trying to calm her down.

He felt her lips moving against his chest and faintly heard her whispers. “I killed him. I murdered my son.” Danse tightened his grip around her lean frame and hushed her. “It’s not on you Nora. It wasn’t your fault. You saved thousands of lives. Focus on that.”

She nestled into his chest, the smell of alcohol radiating off of her and assaulting his nose. He steeled his senses and continued to hold on to her.

Eventually, her crying ceased and she looked up into his eyes. Her attention slid down to his lips and then back up to his eyes. She sucked in her bottom lip before leaning in. Danse noticed her gaze moving to his mouth and tensed up. This wasn’t right. She was sad and confused and he had to stop it before it continued. Even if he did want to kiss her.

He pushed her off onto the bed and stood up. She sat up and stared at him, her face blotchy from her tears. “W-what’s wrong? Don’t you want me? I thought you wanted me…”

Danse began to pace the floor, knocking bottles out of the way in the process. “I do. Of course I do. But not like this Nora. Not when you’re vulnerable. I feel...I feel like I’m taking advantage.” He stopped his pacing when she stood up and inched closer to him. She shrugged out of her leather jacket and let it fall to the ground in a heap.

Her voice was barely audible. Her amber eyes peeked up at his through her long thick lashes. “It’s okay Danse.” Next, she began to pull off her t-shirt and threw that over in the corner. Danse ordered himself not to stare down at her breasts, exposed in the light blue glow of the moon through the windows. _Of course she didn’t wear a bra. This is wrong. So wrong._

She took his hand in hers and brought it up to her small chest. “Touch me, Danse. Please.” Nora closed her eyes as his large calloused palm pressed against the soft mound of her breast. Her hand moved away from his and he left it where it was. He continued to stare at his hand on her chest. _Tempting. Oh so tempting._ Alarm bells were ringing in Danse’s head and it took him a second to register them. He retracted his hand and hung his head. “I’m sorry Nora. I can’t do this now. It wouldn’t be right.”

Swiftly she bent down to retrieve her jacket and cover herself up. Nora felt mortified and angry and hurt. The sober part of her was also felt grateful that Danse was too much of a gentleman to use her while she was in this condition. In the past, she had picked men up in the Third Rail and fucked them until she didn’t feel so dead inside. But afterwards, when they had left, when she was all alone, she felt disgusting and ashamed.

Danse spun on his heel and crossed the room to his power armour. “I understand if you want me to go. I’ll get my own room tonight.” Just as he opened the suit up, Nora spoke. “No. Don’t go. Stay with me tonight. Please.”

She thought he would leave anyway. The other guys always left after she got too emotional. They found it awkward when she start crying while they were inside her, so they made their excuses and left.

But not Danse.

He had held her when she cried. And now he closed his suit back up and came back over to her. Danse opened his arms for her and she held onto him tightly. “I’m not going anywhere Nora. Don’t you worry. I’m staying right here.”

They moved back over to the bed and he tucked them in under the covers. She snuggled into the broad expanse of his chest. Danse remained awake until he could hear her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep. "I'm not going anywhere" he whispered into her chestnut hair.

Ever so gently, he kissed the top of her head before he closed his eyes and drifted off, enjoying the heat of her body against his.


End file.
